Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the 'Vets'

The
President and all the hardworking Committee of the ACT Vets Cycling
Club wish all our members and their families a merry Christmas and a
happy and safe New Year and indeed for all of 2016.

We
would especially like to thank those members who supported the club so
well by volunteering as Race Directors, traffic marshals, first aiders,
etc and for the little things like helping pack up the van after races.
We could not have had such a full calendar of varied racing without your
support, your camaraderie, your generosity and simply your keenness for
riding and racing bikes, whether in fair weather or foul. That's why we
all love to 'get out there' and to organise and compete in such great
and friendly events.

The
Club collectively celebrated the end of the year with the running of
the annual Christmas Wheel Race on Tuesday out at Stromlo Forest Park.
It was another very well attended and hard fought event - both to get
into the final ride and the wheel race itself when some four grades made
up the first five places. Thanks to Barb Bayliss for organising such
tasty after-race snacks. We also presented the winners of the 2015
winter-season points score to the most consistent and successful riders
in each grade by men and woman as well as the prestigeous ‘Club Person
of the Year’ awarded to Allan Bontjer in recognition for his tireless
work this year in revitalising and renewing our database, the Rider
Management System (RMS). Well done Allan!

Thats
it for races in 2015, but look out for the notice on the traditional
Boxing Day Recovery Ride for those staying in Canberra (8.00am start
from the Jollimont Centre). This ride is a social one and is designed
for riders of all ability with stops at the tops of hills and short
turn-around options designed to bring all riders back into Civic for a
well earned coffee as we relax, chat and wonder about the folk fronting
up for yet more shopping).

Finally,
we all look forward to seeing you out on the road, at the tracks having
healthy fun and great competition in our races in 2016. Long live the
ACT Vets Cycling Club and long may its members partake in our beautiful
sport.

Safe Riding!Alex O'SheaClub President

Christmas Wheel Race – 15th December

For
only the 2nd time this season riders we greeted with still conditions
which usually means a quick pace and tight bunches, given the stakes
were unusually higher this week as it was 10 points and a chance to get
your name in the paper with a win in the Christmas wheel race.

G’s were away first for their 4 lap warm-up with auto qualification, Messrs’ Jones, Robey Snr and Crowe through.

C
and Delta were away at 6, and, well it was interesting, a pre-race
brief included the words, “resist the temptation to do something silly”,
for future reference, the words should include “ successfully resist
the temptation to do something silly”, two bunches come together no
matter how much you shout and wave yellow flags, you sometimes just
can’t understand it for them and it would appear when there is a sheep
station on offer, 300 race briefings in my time with vets, every one of
them, “if you’re lapped let them pass, give them space and then get on
with it”, was just simply forgotten or ignored, and we know it works , 4
other grades demonstrated immaculate passing techniques on the night.
Delta riders, in Boyd, Fitch, Wilson, Johnson and Groening through to
the final, with C grade riders Tokich, Pitt, Shippley, Tanton joining
them.

F
Troop and E’s behaved circling the track and executing faultless
overtaking manoeuvres with Sue Duckett, Sue Frost, and the usual F troop
suspects, in Kim, Lindsay and William Frost getting a ride in the
final. E’s represented by O’Sullivan, Legendary Mike Hayes, Morto, Tony
Sheehan with Ian Shaw getting over the line for their 730 date.

A
Train and B finished the qualification races with some incredible lap
times 1:24 the fastest for the night @ 52K for the average with not even
a hint of sick on the handlebars, both groups putting in a genuine
effort to make the last 5.Atrain represented by Vroomans, Stewart,
Crispin, Pellegrino and Scherl. With the B’s represented by Savage,
Wilson, Reid, Palmer and Mike McGurgin.

Final
@ 1930, 33 riders G: off 2:40, A off scratch and 5 laps of Helter
Skelter for the grades in between, Both Robey and Jones set a pace where
one lap down and the A’s not having left yet, that might have caused
them to blow up at the end of the 2nd lap, E and F riders held the head
of the course for most of the last three laps but were ultimately run
down up the back straight on the final lap with Sue Duckett and Ian Shaw
hanging in valiantly for minor places ultimately Delta team got their
rider over the line with Martin Boyd taking the prize, not surprisingly
after spending the early part of the night seagulling, the A’s and B’s
were valiant from the back and made up incredible ground and perhaps
with another 10 seconds to play with, the results would have been very
different.

The Winners presented their awards by Club President, Alex O'Shea

1st: Martin Boyd

2nd: Sue Duckett

3rd: Rico Fitch

Thanks
to Dan Ashcroft, Stu the medic and roo rustler and also to Alex O’Shea
and Rob Langridge for the adult supervision in the absence of Henry and
also for Rob in getting the handicapping close enough to make a real
race of it.

Winter Season Winners

Summer 2014/15 Season Winners

The Winners of last Summer Season Points;

Womens

• 1st Pauline Thorn

• 2nd Sue Frost

• 3rd Barbara Bayliss

Mens

• 1st Marc Vroomans

• 2nd Ian Morton

• 3rd Mark Harris

Christmas Track Race – 16th December

Unfortunately,
the weather gods did not smile on this racing session. Initially it
appeared that the track might escape rain. However, showers struck as
the warm up time approached and did not cease until around 7.00pm. No
racing was possible.

A
number of riders attended the Christmas drinks and nibbles and enjoyed a
convivial but cramped social gathering in the corridor of the track
amenities.

A
Merry Christmas to all trackies and their families. Please note that
the text track session will be in the new year, on 6 January. See you
there!

Merry Christmas,Graeme O'Neill

Stromlo Criterium – 8th December

The
weather conditions for the 96 riders were a lot kinder than the
previous week when strong blustery winds made it difficult for the
riders to stay together. This week a light steady breeze from the north
west prevailed and conditions were clear and mild.

As
usual G grade went off first but there only two starters and Heather
Sommeriva took the win from Paul Robey. E and F grades were the next to
go. E grade kept together for the entire race with Alex Sommeriva
sprinting away to win by a respectable distance thus ensuring his better
half wouldn’t have all the bragging rights for the glory of a race win
that evening. The F grade group rode the first lap of their race lined
up across the track TdF style with well known club member James Meredith
at the centre. This was James’ last race as he is leaving to spend his
retirement in his home state of sunny Queensland. James has participated
in 476 events since he joined the club in 2006 and in that time he has
made a significant contribution to the success of club races, both road
and track. His willing and capable assistance at future events will be
greatly missed. We wish him all the best for his forthcoming years of
retirement. Needless to say the winner of the F grade was, yes you
guessed it, James, closely followed by the Sue duo, Duckett and Frost.

A
was off next with B following about 200 metres behind. Initially A took
it fairly steady and within a couple of laps were nearly caught by B.
At that point the trio of Bruce Goodspeed, Sean Ifland and Nathane
Spillane attacked and the subsequent chase opened the gap to B by nearly
half a lap. Both grades then stayed nicely grouped for a while with A
moving just slightly faster than B. Obviously things were not exciting
enough for B grade riders Nick Boylan and Paul Ledbrook. At about 10
minutes into the 40 minute race the pair decided to attack off the front
at a pace that the rest of the group must have thought impossible to
maintain. Their performance was impressive to say the least as after 5
or 6 laps they caught up with and were about to overtake A grade. A
slight surge by A saw them drop behind again but they worked well
together, maintaining their pace and lead on the rest of B right to the
end of the race. Nick pulled ahead of Paul in the last lap to take the
win. The rest of B sprinted for third place which was taken by Brendan
Savage. There was not quite so much action in A grade apart from a few
attacks which were countered by successful chases. Top three were Sean
Ifland, Marc Vroomans and Damien Ruse.

Not
a lot to report on for C and D. The prevailing conditions made it
fairly easy for all riders to stay together and that is what happened.
Both groups lapped at a similar pace and there was no overtaking or
mixing of grades much to the relief of the officials. C grade podium was
Bryan Holloway, Graham Tanton and Bernie Shaw. D grade Phil Cameron,
Jack Hermes, and John Wilson. Many thanks to the helpers on the day,
Andy Boyd, Rosemary Robinson and Bruce Jones. Also to first aider Stu
Horyna who always assists by tracking and identifying riders.

Graham Hendrie

Reminder: Registration due by the end of the month

And
a final reminder that your 2015 Registration will expire at the end of
this month and you will not be able to race next year until you have
registered for the 2016 season.

Simply go to theIMG site. Logon with the username and password that you used to register last year. The annual subscription for 2016 remains unchanged.

If
you have forgotten your password, go to top right hand corner and click
on username and password. That will enable IMG to send you another
password to your email address. To ensure you transfer the numbers and
letters correctly it is advised to cut and paste.

Any queries please direct them tomembership@actvets.ccand not the contact on the password retrieval page.

Next Race

Racing will resume in 2016 with the first Crit on the 5th January and Track Racing on the 6th January.

Christmas Wheelrace

Pencil the 15th December in your calendar, the ACT Vets Christmas Wheelrace is on again.

There will be the Annual presentations, plus the club will be providing soft drinks and finger food including spinach pies, sandwiches, mini quiches, Italian meatballs and roulade.

See you there.

Registration Renewal for 2016

2016 membership renewals are due by 31 December 2015. To renew, go tohttps://memberdesq.imgstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&OrgID=10244or follow the prompts via our websitewww.actvets.cc. Click on the Login link and enter the username and password from last year. If you have forgotten your login and password , after clicking on ‘login’ - go to the tab at the top right hand side of the screen and click on ‘Username & Password’ - then forward your email address as requested in the box that will appear. IMG will then forward you the information.

You need to renew your membership prior to 31 December or prior to your first race in 2016.

It is preferable to renew prior to the end of December if you intend to race in 2016. Before each race, a check has to be done of all those registered to race to ensure they are financial members and covered by insurance. As a courtesy to those committee members who work hard to ensure the club complies with the terms of our insurance cover and also produce the race results, please renew your membership at least 2 days prior to racing. Membership costs are:

A full competitive membership for 2016 is $100

A full competitive membership for a sight impaired tandem cyclist for 2016 is $85

Non competitive membership for 2016 is $5

Upon renewal, your 2016 licence will be emailed to you direct from IMG. Please print out a copy and it is suggested that you laminate it or place it in plastic for future reference during the year ahead. You will need to show this licence if you enter events run by other Veteran Cycling Clubs or the AVCC.

Please ensure that your personal particulars are always kept up to date, in particular your emergency contact details. For those members with First Aid qualifications please also update the site. It is a member’s responsibility to keep these updated via the IMG website.

RACE REPORTS:

Stromlo Criterium – 1st December

The racing took place on a hot windy afternoon with a gusty wind across the track from the West or North West. We experimented by running A and C Grades on the track at the same time and B and D Grades together after that. In each case the higher grade passed the lower grade only once, and the passing was quick due to the difference in speeds. Also because the lower grades finished earlier there seemed to be no real difficulties for the race officials to sort out and each grade had a good go in the final laps.

Ed Pellegrino and “The Dominator”(Dominic Romano) attacked from the jump in A Grade and opened up a big gap. After a while Dominic fell back but never lost the enthusiastic crowd support; maybe his job was done helping Ed get away. With about 12 minutes to go Ed Pellegrino was joined by a bunch of 5 more riders. In the end Paul Scherl was able to win the final sprint. Most Aggressive Rider award goes to Ed Pellegrino who finished 4th.

B Grade was a fairly hard fought affair with Mark Terracini attacking in the first lap, Nick Boylan crossing to the break with 10 minutes to go, but fell back with 5 to go, Heath Chester crossed with 3 laps to go, James Jordan tried to cross at least 3 times but getting caught in no-mans land. However, the bunch was all together with 2 laps to go, then an attack from Damian Ruse and again Mark Terracini joined him for half a lap but Damian ended up winning.

The C Grade bunch stayed more or less together for a final sprint which was won by Michael Foulds. The D Grade race also finished in a sprint out of a tight bunch won by James Mills.

In the E Grade race Mark Hutchings pulled away with 4 laps to go for a comprehensive win. Mark tells me he only intended to do his turn on the front but was surprised to find himself clear. Rosemary Robinson’s ride for second was a strong performance. Most Aggressive Rider award goes to winner Mark Hutchings.

The F and G Grade races were small fields of 4 and 3 respectively, tough on a windy afternoon with Mike Hemsley winning F and Tony Weir winning G. The E and F Grade races were shortened by 5 minutes or so when a storm threatened, but the storm never quite arrived.

Thanks to assistants Al Bontjer for timing and advice and Charles Nicoll for finish shute and crowd control.

Steve Schwenke

B grade from the sidelines 1 December

B grade riding with D presented the opportunity to watch what was going on in 'reserve' grade. Mark 'Terror' Terracini was back with the Vets after a 6-year break. Having studiedDominator's Book of Racing Tacticsthe night before, he chose Chapter 1 'Attack Early' and off he went. Back in the bunch not much was happening. Had Richard Bourne been about there would have been a few tomatoes being thrown at the lumbering peloton, no doubt. Despite the howling wind, Terror battled on while the bunch waited. Nick Boylan fresh from the Hartley challenge joined him for a while but soon found the going too tough just as it looked like they had a winning break. Soon after that Mark pulled up stumps and rode off the course to the cheers from the mob on Quon hill. A new break formed with Peter Young and others but this group was reeled in with about two laps to go. In the lull when everyone was channeling their inner Cavendish, Damian Ruse attacked and suddenly had a 60m gap! Damian kept the lead to the end to win easily from Tony Rowley who'd slipped off the front in the last lap. Brenden Savage won the battle of the sitters for third.

Rob Langridge

Narrabundah Track Racing – 2nd December

Sixteen riders participated in the 2-Dec track session. The weather was near perfect for the warm up. A stiffening breeze arose as racing progressed.

The 12-lap A grade scratch race saw the bunch circulating for four laps at a solid pace. On lap 5, the tandem pair Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou launched an enterprising attack with assistance from Michael Langdon. This attack enlivened the racing. However, it went unrewarded, as the trailing bunch gradually wore down the attackers. The bunch was back together by Lap 10. A furious sprint commenced approaching the bell lap. Steve Jones took a close sprint win from Ben Robey and Michael Langdon. The B grade scratch started to open up by lap six with several riders suffering with the pace. Domenic Rideaux was having a first run on the Bundadome and was under-graded. As the laps clicked by, Domenic became more comfortable and ultimately pulled out in front, pursued by Phil Anderson in a gutsy performance. The finish saw Domenic holding off Phil in the sprint. Peta Brill took third placing.

The evening’s second event was a 200 metre flying time trial. This event requires technique, not tactics. It is flat chat all the way. Most riders showed very sound technique. Times were slightly off, due to the stiffening head wind in the take-off zone. Steve Jones set an impressive mark of 12.90 seconds to be the best of A Grade. Peta Brill showed her potential by setting an exceptionally good time of 14.13 seconds to take B grade.

The 200 Fly was followed by a 4-Lap handicap. In A grade, Steve Jones came from the scratch mark to take a close win from Chris Thompson and Michael Langdon. In B grade, Peta Brill capped a good night with a win over Phil Anderson and Domenic Rideaux.

The track session closed with an all-in, Italian pursuit. This race was not as close as last week’s event. However, it is always interesting to see how riders of differing ability gell as the race unfolds. James Meredith had to cover two laps on the front to compensate for uneven numbers in the teams. James went well, but the effort blunted his normally scorching pace, as intended by the handicapper. As the race progressed, Team 2 gained a slight advantage. However, it was never sufficient to fend off a final attach by Kery Knowler, Lindy Hou and Steve Jones, the anchor grouping on Team 1. Eventually Team 1 took a comfortable win by around 15 metres.

Cotter Reserve Time Trial – 6th December

No day could ever be described as perfect for a TT, but Sunday morning was pretty close. A small group gathered at the recreation area at Cotter for the dash up Mt McDonald. The course was slightly shorter to avoid having extra traffic controllers at the Uriarra Village intersections. Peter Young and Ashley Sked arrived on time but only just completed the ordeal of setting up the signs before the first rider was to set out at 0900. Trish the sports trainer and Denis Jessop the other traffic controller were in place on time so we were ready to go. Peter Marshall was the fastest up the hill and you can check the RMS for the rest of the results. I stopped one car, but did it with panache!

While we were waiting for time keepers to return from the mountain, I made note of the departure of legendary club stalwart James Meredith who is moving to Queensland and leaving us for good! Although James is not in the committee this year, he's done so much with race day registration, marshaling, defoliating the Dairy Flat course and generally being one of those great guys who makes the Vets such a friendly and welcoming club. All the best James, we'll all miss you.

Afterwards there was discussion about the disappointing turn out for such a perfect day--surely the other 90% of club riders were not all at the Tour of Bright or the Tour de Femme. Hope to see you at the final RR of the year at Uriarra Homestead this Sunday.

Farewell James Meredith

On Tuesday we said farewell to longtime member James Meredith who has retired and is moving up to sunny Queensland.

James
has been a member since November 2006 and has racked up an impressive
473 events with the club. During the time he has been an enthusiastic
volunteer, helping with setup, manning the signon desk and always
willing, when we were short of Marshals, to fill in.

Tuesday's race started with a ceremonial tribute lap with members of his grade and some of the committee to send him off.

To all the members of the ACT Vets,

Thank
you all for the send-off at the Crits on Tuesday evening. I will put
this memory into the treasure chest of memories I have from riding with
the Club.

I
remember joining back in late 2006 at the young age of 59 and riding on
what turned out to be the last ride we have had at the Sutton Driver
training circuit and I managed to be there for the last ride at Kingston
and again at Geoscience ! Was it me ?

There
have been many memorable rides since and many memorable people that I
have had the distinct privilege to know. I did like riding the crit
circuits at Kingston and Geoscience where I always felt I had a chance
maybe because I was confident in my ability to take the corners or
perhaps I am just too foolhardy to realise how dangerous it was !

During
my year or so of illness, when I couldn't ride, I took great pleasure
in being able to put a number to a face and pretended to remember your
names at sign-on. I have recovered from that illness ( a hiatus hernia
that had half my stomach in the lung cavity) only to have the real
breathing problem manifest itself as pleural plaques that have left a
scar on section of my diaphragm giving something like a permanent
stitch. But I did eventually remember many names ! It was an honour to
be able to contribute the the functioning of the Club in what ever small
way I could. While I am reluctant to name names for fear for forgetting
someone I would like to mention 3 – Bill Frost for the years of towing
the trailer to the events, Graham Hendrie for taking on the van and the
sign-on program and Henry Beaverstock for his event organisation. There
is huge gap to fill now that Henry can't assist and I, for one, have
certainly missed him in the last couple of weeks – thanks Bill, Graham
and Henry.

My
wife and I will be travelling to the UK for Christmas with our daughter
and her family, then to Brittany for 3 months of Long Service Leave,
back to Canberra for 2 weeks and then return to QLD for retirement. My
plan is to transfer membership to the Gold Coast vets and remain in
touch with the vets riding community for as long as the legs last.

Thank you one and all for your companionship and camaraderie over the years. Ride safe.

Joyeux noel et bonne anneeJames Meredith.

Canberra Cycling Club Xmas Ride

Canberra
Cycling Club are conducting their annual social Xmas ride this
Wednesday the 16th. This is a jovial ride (20km avg) that covers the
usual Wednesday morning route around the inner southern suburbs. A host
of celebrities including Santa often make an appearance. To ride with
over 100 riders on what should be a beautiful morning along Adelaide Ave
is certainly a sight to be seen. For more details, check outhttp://www.canberracyclingclub.org.au/social/ccc-christmas-bunch-ride-2/.

Registration Renewal for 2016

2016 membership renewals are due by 31 December 2015. To renew, go tohttps://memberdesq.imgstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&OrgID=10244or follow the prompts via our websitewww.actvets.cc.
Click on the Login link and enter the username and password from last
year. If you have forgotten your login and password , after clicking on
‘login’ - go to the tab at the top right hand side of the screen and
click on ‘Username & Password’ - then forward your email address as
requested in the box that will appear. IMG will then forward you the
information.

You need to renew your membership prior to 31 December or prior to your first race in 2016.

It
is preferable to renew prior to the end of December if you intend to
race in 2016. Before each race, a check has to be done of all those
registered to race to ensure they are financial members and covered by
insurance. As a courtesy to those committee members who work hard to
ensure the club complies with the terms of our insurance cover and also
produce the race results, please renew your membership at least 2 days
prior to racing. Membership costs are:

A full competitive membership for 2016 is $100

A full competitive membership for a sight impaired tandem cyclist for 2016 is $85

Non competitive membership for 2016 is $5

Upon
renewal, your 2016 licence will be emailed to you direct from IMG.
Please print out a copy and it is suggested that you laminate it or
place it in plastic for future reference during the year ahead. You will
need to show this licence if you enter events run by other Veteran
Cycling Clubs or the AVCC.

Please
ensure that your personal particulars are always kept up to date, in
particular your emergency contact details. For those members with First
Aid qualifications please also update the site. It is a member’s
responsibility to keep these updated via the IMG website.

Comments
from the race committee: It's a great relief that no more road races
have to be organised this year. It's been a tremendous struggle to get
marshals to help out each week. To everyone who volunteered this year--a
big thank you. If you didn't, there will be plenty of opportunities to
make up for it next year!

Rob Langridge

RACING THIS WEEK:

Tuesday, 15th December: Stromlo Criterium - Christmas Wheel Race

There
will be the traditional wheelrace format, annual presentations, plus
the club will be providing soft drinks and finger food including spinach
pies, sandwiches, mini quiches, Italian meatballs and roulade.

Please
confirm with the Race Director that you are available. If you unable to
make the date that you have been rostered please find a replacement.

Wednesday, 16th December: Track Racing

This
will be the last Track event before racing re-commences in the New Year
on 6 January. Beer, soft drink and nibbles will be supplied by the
club, for a Christmas celebration, after the racing. All are welcome,
including partners etc. If you feel like bringing a small plate, that
would be appreciated.

RACE REPORTS:

Narrabundah Track Racing – 9th December

Nineteen riders participated in the 9-Dec track session. The weather was warm and near perfect for racing.

In
the 12-lap A grade scratch race, it was on from the start. The tandem
pair Cameron Ermet and John Barlow took an early lead until being caught
around lap 5. At this point a tight group comprising Gary Waldron,
Craig Kentwell, Aaron Sedgmen and Michael Landgon burst forward and
established a handy gap. The bunch did not give up. They relentlessly
pegged back the lead and by lap 9 the bunch were back together. At this
point John-Paul DeSousa took his chance to break from the field.
Initially his lead looked decisive. However, the bunch were too close by
the bell lap. The race ended in a bunch sprint taken by Steve Jones,
Aaron Sedgmen and Michael Langdon, in that order.

The
12-lap B grade scratch race was also enterprising. Several riders
established breaks that were quickly pegged back. The bunch split with
the pace and as the finish approached, Ross Scutts took an early lead
that looked very promising. However, Ian Drayton, Phil Anderson and Phil
Coulton cranked on the pace as the bell lap commenced. They overhauled
Ross to finish in the order listed.

The
evening’s second event was a 4-lap handicap from a standing start. From
the scratch mark, Steve Jones could not gain the wheel of the fast
starting Michael Langdon and Aaron Sedgmen. He was out of contention.
All the other riders looked to have a chance as the race unfolded. Ben
Robey took his chance and held an early gap to finish first. Aaron
Sedgmen and Michael Landon overtook all the contending riders to take
second and third respectively. In B grade, the race looked equally
competitive with James Meredith using all his energy to hold an early
gap. The chasing riders were slowly aggregating. By the bell lap two
riders had caught James and accelerated for a sprint finish. Ian Drayton
took a fine win from Phil Anderson. James Meredith held on for the
consolation of third place in one of his last rides before leaving to
retire in God’s country.

The
evening’s third event was a 12-lap points race with four sprints of
equal points. In A grade, Steve Jones was dominant with three sprint
wins and 17 points. There was quite a mix in the rest of the group with
Gary Waldron taking one sprint and various riders gaining useful points
in the successive sprints. In the wash up, Chris Thompson and Aaron
Sedgment finished equal second on 9 points. John-Paul DeSousa gained 8
points to finish third. In B grade, results were also well mixed up over
the individual sprints. Ian Drayton took two sprint wins and garnered
16 points to finish first. Phil Anderson finished a close second on 15
points. Bruce Griffin finished third on 11 points. Both Phil and Bruce
took one of the four sprints.

The
track session closed with an all-in, Italian pursuit. This race was
exciting, as usual. The B grade riders in Team 2 (Ian Drayton, Bruce
Griffin and Phil Anderson) knew that they had to establish an early lead
to compensate for the strength of the anchor riders in Team 1. They did
not disappoint. As the race progressed it was clearly going to be
tight. Over the race, gaps developed in the Team 1 bunch. The extra
energy expended to close these gaps proved the decisive factor in the
race. By the final lap, Team 1 had just enough lead to hold off Team 2.
The final margin was within 10 metres.

Uriarra Graded Scratch – 13th December

Perfect
conditions for the graded scratch at Uriarra on Sunday 13 December. 39
riders turned up to race and were treated to about the best possible
conditions. There was even a tailwind from the Crossing back to the
Homestead. What more could you ask for? Well, maybe some more riders,
but more mention of that below.

All grades were evenly represented with around 5-7 riders with the exception of G who decided to sleep in on the day.

The
course saw the riders head off towards the top of the first hill at
Blue Range Spur, then down to the top of the crossing, back to Blue
Range Spur and repeat the process to the finish line which was uphill to
the homestead.

So
no big hills but the course quickly took its toll. All grades lost a
rider or two on Blue Range Spur. There was a fair bit of time trialling
going on between the racing.

In
A the victim was Christophe Barberet. The rest of the group fought it
out till near the finish when the joint winners, Crispin/Hartley, broke
away.

B
stayed together much longer and the finish was hard fought with Peter
Young beating out Bruce Goodspeed and Reinhard Mauch in a sprint finish.
Only 6 seconds separated the first 6 placegetters so there was some
very serious jockeying for position happening in the last kilometre!

In
C grade the piece of string also broke on Blue Range Spur. The break
away of McVay/Preston held to the finish when they fought out the sprint
and finished in that order. Not even the tandem could catch them on the
long run to the Crossing and the rest of the grade came in in ones and
twos.

E
Grade saw Phil Anderson badly misjudge the finish to be edged out by
Peter Lafferty who timed his finish to perfection. Kirsti McVay was a
very close third. After that the rubber band stretched a little!

F
Troop was also hotly contested at the end with the timekeeper getting a
severe challenge. Only 2 seconds separated the victor, Tony Sheehan,
from Lindsay Graham and Barbara Bayliss.

The
usual thanks also go to Graham Hendrie for bringing out the van and
assisting with set up until called to the line to race. Also Ian Morton
for setting out signage. And that is not to mention the flurry of
activity last week by Rob Langridge to ensure we had the correct
officials on the day.

Indeed
we were so well organised we could have easily dealt with another 39
riders so lets make sure that we get 80 riders to our next road race!

Christmas Wheelrace

Pencil the 15th December in your calendar, the ACT Vets Christmas Wheelrace is on again.

There will be the Annual presentations, plus the club will be providing soft drinks and finger food including spinach pies, sandwiches, mini quiches, Italian meatballs and roulade.

See you there.

Registration Renewal for 2016

2016 membership renewals are due by 31 December 2015. To renew, go tohttps://memberdesq.imgstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&OrgID=10244or follow the prompts via our websitewww.actvets.cc. Click on the Login link and enter the username and password from last year. If you have forgotten your login and password , after clicking on ‘login’ - go to the tab at the top right hand side of the screen and click on ‘Username & Password’ - then forward your email address as requested in the box that will appear. IMG will then forward you the information.

You need to renew your membership prior to 31 December or prior to your first race in 2016.

It is preferable to renew prior to the end of December if you intend to race in 2016. Before each race, a check has to be done of all those registered to race to ensure they are financial members and covered by insurance. As a courtesy to those committee members who work hard to ensure the club complies with the terms of our insurance cover and also produce the race results, please renew your membership at least 2 days prior to racing. Membership costs are:

A full competitive membership for 2016 is $100

A full competitive membership for a sight impaired tandem cyclist for 2016 is $85

Non competitive membership for 2016 is $5

Upon renewal, your 2016 licence will be emailed to you direct from IMG. Please print out a copy and it is suggested that you laminate it or place it in plastic for future reference during the year ahead. You will need to show this licence if you enter events run by other Veteran Cycling Clubs or the AVCC.

Please ensure that your personal particulars are always kept up to date, in particular your emergency contact details. For those members with First Aid qualifications please also update the site. It is a member’s responsibility to keep these updated via the IMG website.

RACE REPORTS:

Stromlo Criterium – 1st December

The racing took place on a hot windy afternoon with a gusty wind across the track from the West or North West. We experimented by running A and C Grades on the track at the same time and B and D Grades together after that. In each case the higher grade passed the lower grade only once, and the passing was quick due to the difference in speeds. Also because the lower grades finished earlier there seemed to be no real difficulties for the race officials to sort out and each grade had a good go in the final laps.

Ed Pellegrino and “The Dominator”(Dominic Romano) attacked from the jump in A Grade and opened up a big gap. After a while Dominic fell back but never lost the enthusiastic crowd support; maybe his job was done helping Ed get away. With about 12 minutes to go Ed Pellegrino was joined by a bunch of 5 more riders. In the end Paul Scherl was able to win the final sprint. Most Aggressive Rider award goes to Ed Pellegrino who finished 4th.

B Grade was a fairly hard fought affair with Mark Terracini attacking in the first lap, Nick Boylan crossing to the break with 10 minutes to go, but fell back with 5 to go, Heath Chester crossed with 3 laps to go, James Jordan tried to cross at least 3 times but getting caught in no-mans land. However, the bunch was all together with 2 laps to go, then an attack from Damian Ruse and again Mark Terracini joined him for half a lap but Damian ended up winning.

The C Grade bunch stayed more or less together for a final sprint which was won by Michael Foulds. The D Grade race also finished in a sprint out of a tight bunch won by James Mills.

In the E Grade race Mark Hutchings pulled away with 4 laps to go for a comprehensive win. Mark tells me he only intended to do his turn on the front but was surprised to find himself clear. Rosemary Robinson’s ride for second was a strong performance. Most Aggressive Rider award goes to winner Mark Hutchings.

The F and G Grade races were small fields of 4 and 3 respectively, tough on a windy afternoon with Mike Hemsley winning F and Tony Weir winning G. The E and F Grade races were shortened by 5 minutes or so when a storm threatened, but the storm never quite arrived.

Thanks to assistants Al Bontjer for timing and advice and Charles Nicoll for finish shute and crowd control.

Steve Schwenke

B grade from the sidelines 1 December

B grade riding with D presented the opportunity to watch what was going on in 'reserve' grade. Mark 'Terror' Terracini was back with the Vets after a 6-year break. Having studiedDominator's Book of Racing Tacticsthe night before, he chose Chapter 1 'Attack Early' and off he went. Back in the bunch not much was happening. Had Richard Bourne been about there would have been a few tomatoes being thrown at the lumbering peloton, no doubt. Despite the howling wind, Terror battled on while the bunch waited. Nick Boylan fresh from the Hartley challenge joined him for a while but soon found the going too tough just as it looked like they had a winning break. Soon after that Mark pulled up stumps and rode off the course to the cheers from the mob on Quon hill. A new break formed with Peter Young and others but this group was reeled in with about two laps to go. In the lull when everyone was channeling their inner Cavendish, Damian Ruse attacked and suddenly had a 60m gap! Damian kept the lead to the end to win easily from Tony Rowley who'd slipped off the front in the last lap. Brenden Savage won the battle of the sitters for third.

Rob Langridge

Narrabundah Track Racing – 2nd December

Sixteen riders participated in the 2-Dec track session. The weather was near perfect for the warm up. A stiffening breeze arose as racing progressed.

The 12-lap A grade scratch race saw the bunch circulating for four laps at a solid pace. On lap 5, the tandem pair Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou launched an enterprising attack with assistance from Michael Langdon. This attack enlivened the racing. However, it went unrewarded, as the trailing bunch gradually wore down the attackers. The bunch was back together by Lap 10. A furious sprint commenced approaching the bell lap. Steve Jones took a close sprint win from Ben Robey and Michael Langdon. The B grade scratch started to open up by lap six with several riders suffering with the pace. Domenic Rideaux was having a first run on the Bundadome and was under-graded. As the laps clicked by, Domenic became more comfortable and ultimately pulled out in front, pursued by Phil Anderson in a gutsy performance. The finish saw Domenic holding off Phil in the sprint. Peta Brill took third placing.

The evening’s second event was a 200 metre flying time trial. This event requires technique, not tactics. It is flat chat all the way. Most riders showed very sound technique. Times were slightly off, due to the stiffening head wind in the take-off zone. Steve Jones set an impressive mark of 12.90 seconds to be the best of A Grade. Peta Brill showed her potential by setting an exceptionally good time of 14.13 seconds to take B grade.

The 200 Fly was followed by a 4-Lap handicap. In A grade, Steve Jones came from the scratch mark to take a close win from Chris Thompson and Michael Langdon. In B grade, Peta Brill capped a good night with a win over Phil Anderson and Domenic Rideaux.

The track session closed with an all-in, Italian pursuit. This race was not as close as last week’s event. However, it is always interesting to see how riders of differing ability gell as the race unfolds. James Meredith had to cover two laps on the front to compensate for uneven numbers in the teams. James went well, but the effort blunted his normally scorching pace, as intended by the handicapper. As the race progressed, Team 2 gained a slight advantage. However, it was never sufficient to fend off a final attach by Kery Knowler, Lindy Hou and Steve Jones, the anchor grouping on Team 1. Eventually Team 1 took a comfortable win by around 15 metres.

Cotter Reserve Time Trial – 6th December

No day could ever be described as perfect for a TT, but Sunday morning was pretty close. A small group gathered at the recreation area at Cotter for the dash up Mt McDonald. The course was slightly shorter to avoid having extra traffic controllers at the Uriarra Village intersections. Peter Young and Ashley Sked arrived on time but only just completed the ordeal of setting up the signs before the first rider was to set out at 0900. Trish the sports trainer and Denis Jessop the other traffic controller were in place on time so we were ready to go. Peter Marshall was the fastest up the hill and you can check the RMS for the rest of the results. I stopped one car, but did it with panache!

While we were waiting for time keepers to return from the mountain, I made note of the departure of legendary club stalwart James Meredith who is moving to Queensland and leaving us for good! Although James is not in the committee this year, he's done so much with race day registration, marshaling, defoliating the Dairy Flat course and generally being one of those great guys who makes the Vets such a friendly and welcoming club. All the best James, we'll all miss you.

Afterwards there was discussion about the disappointing turn out for such a perfect day--surely the other 90% of club riders were not all at the Tour of Bright or the Tour de Femme. Hope to see you at the final RR of the year at Uriarra Homestead this Sunday.

President's report to ACTVCC committee meeting

At the recent club committee meeting, the club's president, Alex O'Shea, thanked the ACTVCC Committee for its hard work in:- Achieving very good membership numbers - we have just passed the 400 members mark!- Maintaining a very sound financial position- conducting a well run and safe racing program involving- a weekly (Saturday afternoon) road race in winter-
three races per week in summer with weekly (Wednesday afternoon) track
program, a popular mid week (Tuesday afternoon) criterium race, in
addition to the weekly (Sunday morning) road race.- avoidance of clashes with other major cycling events and long weekends,with all races run in conformance with AVCC race rules and local authority and police requirements.

The
committee has also achieved: - improved safety for members - all road
and criterium races have a qualified sports trainer in attendance -
track races have a member qualified in first aid in attendance - use of a
portable AED at all road and criterium races - work under way to
improve emergency communication from remote locations (we will shortly
buy three satellite phones) - sponsorship of first aid training for
members - to improve safety on club training rides and before qualified
sports trainer arrives at races

It
was especial noted that all road races meet or exceed minimum local
authority and police safety requirements and protocols for on-road
traffic marshalling and due consideration to local residents.

Also noted was the timely ongoing work to update the RMS.

The
president would like to encourage ordinary members to think about
nominating for committee positions early next year prior to our AGM. New
committee members will bring fresh ideas to the fore, share some of the
workload, also will continue the good work of the current committee.
Think about it!

Cheers,Alex

Registration Renewal for 2016

2016 membership renewals are due by 31 December 2015. To renew, go tohttps://memberdesq.imgstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&OrgID=10244or follow the prompts via our websitewww.actvets.cc.
Click on the Login link and enter the username and password from last
year. If you have forgotten your login and password , after clicking on
‘login’ - go to the tab at the top right hand side of the screen and
click on ‘Username & Password’ - then forward your email address as
requested in the box that will appear. IMG will then forward you the
information.

You need to renew your membership prior to 31 December or prior to your first race in 2016.

It
is preferable to renew prior to the end of December if you intend to
race in 2016. Before each race, a check has to be done of all those
registered to race to ensure they are financial members and covered by
insurance. As a courtesy to those committee members who work hard to
ensure the club complies with the terms of our insurance cover and also
produce the race results, please renew your membership at least 2 days
prior to racing. Membership costs are:

A full competitive membership for 2016 is $100

A full competitive membership for a sight impaired tandem cyclist for 2016 is $85

Non competitive membership for 2016 is $5

Upon
renewal, your 2016 licence will be emailed to you direct from IMG.
Please print out a copy and it is suggested that you laminate it or
place it in plastic for future reference during the year ahead. You will
need to show this licence if you enter events run by other Veteran
Cycling Clubs or the AVCC.

Please
ensure that your personal particulars are always kept up to date, in
particular your emergency contact details. For those members with First
Aid qualifications please also update the site. It is a member’s
responsibility to keep these updated via the IMG website.

Barbara BaylissMembership Secretary

The Wheels of Justice turn quickly

Apparently
the individual who helped himself to some club member's property at the
Old Federal Highway race last week was arrested the same day and by
Teusday, had been brought before a local court and received a sentence
of 18mths with 12mths non-parole for a series of offences. They included
the theft from Old Fed. Quick justice on this occasion.

From the desk of the handicapper

This
week we will be trialling a new format where A&C will race together
and B&D will race together. We will see if this helps to minimise
congestion on the track.

Reminder about riding in your correct grade

Just
a reminder to all riders that they should not change down grades
without consulting the handicapper, and in particular, not ride down a
grade, destroy the race and win by miles. Once the RMS is fully
functional, it will be easier to keep an eye on the 400 members and
their grades, but it also requires some honesty in races and not taking
advantage of a mis-grade as well as the humility nor to thrash other
riders who are a class below you. Some riders win frequently but most of
us don't stand on the podium very often so don't steal others' one
chance for glory by winning in a lower grade.

RACE REPORTS:

Stromlo Criterium – 24th November

Tuesday
evening saw reasonably pleaseant conditions. There was a bit of cross
wind to challenge the bunches. G Grade set off first with visitor Graham
Wilson setting a stiff pace which caused G Grade to spread out. Graham
proved an easy winner with Heather Sommariva taking second and Paul
Robey coming in third.

C
and D lined up and set off in their bunches and that's pretty much the
way it stayed. No-one seemed to want to launch a challenge. With a view
to ensuring the grades didn't come together at the finish, D Grade were
given a yellow flag to enable a neutral lap to get separation between
the groups. Unfortunately D Grade didn't quite get the hang of a neutral
lap so they did another one to get it right. At the end, both grades
came down to a bunch sprint at the finish with Greg Collis taking C
Grade from Stephen Schwenke and Peter Alexander. Michael Foulds beat out
Gary Waldron and Andrew Hall to take the honors in D Grade

E
and F Grade followed the same script with both grades staying in their
bunches apart from a few riders dropping off the back. Emery Holmik took
the final sprint over Michael Golding and Lloyd Bennett in E Grade and
Sue Duckett beating Kim Malcolm and Bill Frost to take F Grade.

The crowd were eager for some action in A/B Grade and Dominic "The Dominator"
Romano didn't disappoint launching a full on attack from the start. He
kept out the front for a good few laps before being reeled back. A
couple of groups tried to establish a breakaway but were hauled back
before three riders got away. Mark Harris took the race from Stephen
Isbel and Paul Scherl. B Grade saw a couple of riders, Christopher Kon
and Dougal Torrance making a valiant attempt to break free but were
pulled back in by the bunch. In the end, Timothy Palmer took the sprint
from Damian Ruse and Peter Young to claim B Grade.

Thanks
to Dale Kleeman for his assistance on the line and our First Aider Stu
who is a handy Marshal as well as kangaroo wrangler on the bike. Thanks
to Graham Hendrie for organising the facilities in Henry's absence.

Ian Morton

Narrabundah Track Racing – 25th November

Thirteen
riders participated in the 25-Nov track session. This attendance was
disappointing, given the balmy weather. There was a freshening breeze
throughout the racing. Thankfully, predicted extreme winds held off
until well after the track session.

The
8-lap A grade scratch race saw the bunch circulating for seven laps at a
solid pace. A furious attack from several riders began with the bell
lap. Steve Jones took a close sprint win from John-Paul DeSousa and
Chris Thompson. The B grade scratch restarted after a touch of wheels
and minor crash. The bunch circulated up to the bell lap, then took off.
Steve Hirsler snatched a close win from Phil Anderson and Ian Drayton.

The
evening’s second event was a 2-lap sprint time trial. A grade times
reflected the competitiveness of this grade with all times clustered
within a 5% margin. Steve Jones, Ben Robey and the tandem pair of Kerry
Knowler and Lindy Hou set the fastest times. In B grade the time spread
was less than 10% with Linda Stals, Steve Hirsler and Phil Anderson
setting the fastest times.

Snowball
sprint events followed the sprint time trial. The Snowball race has
multiple sprints with sprint points incrementing over successive
sprints. The event provides interesting tactics, as sprint results
become increasingly valuable as the race progresses. In A grade, Steve
Jones took a decisive win by accumulating 14 points. Ben Robey took
second points using clever tactics and John-Paul De Sousa followed with a
single point deficit to Ben. In B grade Steve Hirsler just piped Phil
Anderson for the points win. Ross Scutts took third with sound tactics
maximising his effort.

The
track session closed with a very exciting, all-in, Italian pursuit. As
Team 1 was anchored by Steve Jones, Team 2 recognised that they needed
to establish an early lead and hang on. James Meredith set the tone for
team 2 with a frantic first lap. The remaining Team 2 members gave their
all to initially increase, then hold, a margin. In mid race Team 1
suffered a minor set back as Ross Scutts struggled, courageously, to
hold on. With two laps to go, it appeared that Team 2 had sufficient
margin to win. However, the tandem pair of Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou
accelerated with Steve Jones urging them on. The final lap with Steve
Jones paired against Ben Robey was exciting. Ben held off a fast closing
Steve to take the win for Team 2 by less than half a wheel. The track
session closed on a high, as the pursuit event was the best of track
racing and a credit to both teams.

Dairy Rd Crit – 29th November

It
was perfect riding/racing conditions on Saturday morning but only 30
competitors turned out for the Dairy Flat points races. E/F/G grades
started at 8am and rode for 30 minutes plus a final sprint lap. For A/B
grades it was 50 minutes plus a sprint lap while foe C/D grades it was
40 minutes and a final lap. It is also a handicap event which can make
for some really good racing or for one-sided competition if the Director
gets the time handicap wrong! Each race consisted of a number of
intermediate sprints unknown to the riders as well as the final sprint
and in each race points were given to placegetters.

A
combined E/F/G grade raced first with a total of only 8 competitors,
with Bernie Crowe being the only brave G grader. Bernie won the first
intermediate sprint on the second lap but was then caught by the 4
riders from F grade. James Meredith won the second intermediate with
Lindsay Graham and Barbara Bayliss. E grade caught the leaders with a
couple of laps to go but in the next prime three F graders, Peter
Lafferty, Lindsay Graham and James Meredith managed to share the points.
In the final sprint the E Graders Des Brown and Graham Hendrie filled
the first two places, followed by Peter Lafferty, Barbara Bayliss and
Robert Mackey.

Overall,
James Meredith was able to amass enough points from the intermediate
sprints to come first, followed by Peter Lafferty and Des Brown.

A/B
grades contested the next race with A Grade having 7 riders and B grade
6. The Director gave A grade a handicap that as it turned out was too
big to overcome. In the chase to catch B Grade, the A Grade bunch
splintered after a few laps with Paul Scherl and Rohan Verco (minus a
race number) riding at a cracking pace. Both riders put in a huge effort
to try to catch B Grade. And they came oh so close after 50+ minutes of
very hard riding!

There
were 4 intermediate sprints in the race with Peter Young winning every
one and David Wilson finishing second in three of them. Steve Schwenke
and Sue Powell were also in the mix. In the final sprint, the fast
finishing Rob Diamond rode past Dave Wilson and Peter Young. Steve
Schwenke and Sue Powell came fourth and fifth respectively. Overall in
the race the two strongest B grade riders, Peter Young and Dave Wilson
took out first and second place with 15 and 11 points respectively. Rob
Diamond with 5 points came third on a count-back from Steve Schwenke
while Sue Powell finished fifth.

In
the C/D grade race the 3 C grade riders were given 1 minute 40 handicap
on the 6 D graders. One C Grader, Wayne Shipley rode very strongly and
was able to catch the D grade bunch around half way into the 40+ minute
race. However, the first of the three intermediate sprints was contested
by D grade with Alistair Nitz winning comfortably from Phil Anderson
and Jon Chowns. For the remaining two primes Alistair Nitz showed how
strong a rider he was on the day finishing in front of Wayne Shipley and
Jon Anderson. Also, in the final sprint, the first three places were
filled by the same riders and in the same order. David Johnson and Jon
Chowns took out fourth and fifth places.

With
a dominant display, Alistair Nitz amassed 14 points to take first place
overall, followed by a gallant Wayne Shipley who had a great race in
scoring 7 points. Phil Anderson took third place with David Johnson and
Jon Chowns fourth and fifth, respectively

Thanks
to the Marshalls Dougal Torrance (also our 1st Aid Officer on the day)
and Aaron Sedgmen who was the only member to respond to the email asking
for a volunteer marshall, and both of whom filled in for the two
‘rostered’ marshalls. Thanks also to Graham Hendrie who manned the van
and set up for the races and also to the other race competitors who
helped out in various ways on the day.

Ian Shaw

Having
listened to lots of cyclists talk over the years it seems that all the
good ones have at least half a dozen reasons each week why they won’t,
(or didn’t) do well this week. It also seems that these excuses may or
may not be true, or may or may not have any significant impact.

So first things first here is my list.Overtrained: This week I had covered 30% more distance than usual by race day.Undertrained: Since I had only done 130km the above seems unlikely.Hungover: Well maybe not quite, but yesterday wasn’t an alcohol-free day.Not well rested: Being a princess I need my beauty sleep.Other activities: Not-telling, but reputed to be bad for athletic performance.Mechanical: I don’t have the latest go-fast equipment to race on.Other
Mechanical: My low profile tubular rims are not stiff enough, causing
the rear wheel to rub against the brakes when subjected to my awesome
power.

Anyway
I was feeling ok for the race but I wasn’t jumping out of my skin. This
was to be my solo debut in A grade, after a managing to hang on to them
on the tandem for 25 minutes on Tuesday night. Hot dog crits are always
a tough initiation due to the constant accelerations out of the
corners. These constant applications of power really show up the
difference between those who can, and those who are only
pretending/kidding themselves.

The
format of a handicapped points race was familiar enough. The lower
grade gets a start and can squabble amongst themselves for the early
points, meanwhile the higher grade is forced to do a team time-trial to
get themselves into contention before they can even consider any
tactics. Just as in a handicap, teamwork is the key, and there is no
point being in the bunch if you can’t contribute. However the result is
going to be heavily influenced by how the bunches can compare to the
task that is set for them.

As
with all attempts at handicapping there are too many variables to
count, not least of all being those who turn up, and how well they work
together. For this format it comes down to the judgment of the Race
Director, who may not have any experience of handicapping. What I do
know of handicapping is that there is always someone who is going to
feel like they’ve been given an unfair mark. I’ve been to plenty of
these races in the past where the higher grades have caught the rabbits
less than 1/3rd of the way into the race, and the rabbits have
complained that they had no chance to sprint against, or even hang onto
the faster riders as they came past. This time was not to be one of
those days. Instead we were given a difficult task and the pace was high
from the outset. I was under pressure from the start, I persevered for a
while hoping that I would come good, but it was not to be. There was no
sense in just riding around by myself, so I dropped back and latched
onto the back of the B grade bunch.

Now
I suppose that being a points race, I could have tried to retrieve some
of my 20 point penalty for being lapped by contesting the intermediate
sprints. However given the fact that I had virtually no chance of
improving my position it didn’t seem reasonable to interfere with the
others race. Mind you I did get bored with just sitting on the back and
not contributing. So I sat up and waited for the A grade bunch to lap
me. The A grade bunch had shelled other riders along the way and looked
like they could use some support. However despite my enormous
contribution it was B grade who took all the points.

I hope to be working on a few more excuses for next time.

Unfortunately
that won’t be during the week due to other commitments for me, which
also rules John out as well since no-one else has offered to pilot him.
So the next outing for us is our favourite TT up Mt McDonald (or
Macdonald depending on your source).

Get well soon Henry

Club
stalwart, Henry Beaverstock, suffered a serious heart attack last week.
Fortunately, he was able to get to hospital and underwent surgery to
have a stent inserted. He is back home now resting and will have to take
it easy for the next few months.

From all the Club Members, we hope you get well soon Henry.

Registration Renewal for 2016

2016 membership renewals are due by 31 December 2015. To renew, go tohttps://memberdesq.imgstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&OrgID=10244or follow the prompts via our websitewww.actvets.cc.
Click on the Login link and enter the username and password from last
year. If you have forgotten your login and password , after clicking on
‘login’ - go to the tab at the top right hand side of the screen and
click on ‘Username & Password’ - then forward your email address as
requested in the box that will appear. IMG will then forward you the
information.

You need to renew your membership prior to 31 December or prior to your first race in 2016.

It
is preferable to renew prior to the end of December if you intend to
race in 2016. Before each race, a check has to be done of all those
registered to race to ensure they are financial members and covered by
insurance. As a courtesy to those committee members who work hard to
ensure the club complies with the terms of our insurance cover and also
produce the race results, please renew your membership at least 2 days
prior to racing. Membership costs are:

A full competitive membership for 2016 is $100

A full competitive membership for a sight impaired tandem cyclist for 2016 is $85

Non competitive membership for 2016 is $5

Upon
renewal, your 2016 licence will be emailed to you direct from IMG.
Please print out a copy and it is suggested that you laminate it or
place it in plastic for future reference during the year ahead. You will
need to show this licence if you enter events run by other Veteran
Cycling Clubs or the AVCC.

Please
ensure that your personal particulars are always kept up to date, in
particular your emergency contact details. For those members with First
Aid qualifications please also update the site. It is a member’s
responsibility to keep these updated via the IMG website.

Barbara BaylissMembership Secretary

Committee for 2016

The
Clubs Annual General Meeting will be held in February. We would like to
see more members getting involved in the Committee so we'd ask all
members to think about getting involved in the running of the club and
nominate for Committee positions.

RMS Offline

The RMS is currently offline due to maintenance on the Website.

From the desk of the handicapper

A&B grade format

Last
week's combined A&B format did receive some positive responses.
Next week we will be trialling a new format where A&C will race
together and B&D will race together. We will see if this helps to
minimise congestion on the track.

In
the meantime, the Race Referee will be watching the grades and if it
looks like the grades are likeley to come together at the finish, the
Referee will neutralise one Grade with the Yellow flag to ensure
separation.

RACE REPORTS:

Stromlo Criterium – 17th November

Tuesday
night’s racing saw one of the biggest bunches ever as 49 riders fronted
up for the combined A and B grade race. The combined bunch was a trial
to try to avoid separate grades arriving at the finish together, which
has caused all sorts of headaches. The B-graders hung on admirably for
the first part of the race but as the middle laps rolled by the elastic
bands started breaking as the A-graders including Stephen Blackburn and
Mark Harris applied the pressure, leaving riders strung out all over the
circuit. Eventually a break of seven riders got away and stayed clear
to the finish. In a close sprint Sean Ifland took the honours, with
Harris and Blackburn filling out the podium. After a strong ride Rob
Diamond won B grade with Tim Minehan and Craig Weller taking out the
minor placings.

In
C grade Ian Preston won the aggressive rider’s award with a gallant
breakaway, holding the bunch at bay for several laps. He was gathered
in, which set the scene for several other unsuccessful breakaway
attempts until the bunch arrived at the finish for a big sprint finish.
Damian Ruse saluted the judge with Shane Warburton second and Steven
Stolk third. The D-graders put on a very polite performance, swapping
turns sedately until someone realised there were only five laps to go
and all hell broke loose, with sustained pressure wiping the smiles off
quite a few faces. The D-graders put on a thrilling sprint finish, with
James Mills edging out John Thorn and Gary Waldron.

E
grade set a cracking pace from the start with Des Brown doing a lot of
the early work. They rounded up F troop after about 10 minutes. The pace
started to tell with the bunch fracturing about the mid point of the
race. James Curran made a decisive late break to take the honours with
Rico Fitch and Linda Stahls rounding out the placings. F grade worked
hard from the start, deterring any would-be breakaways. Andrew
Balzanelli took out the race and Peter Lafferty warmed the hearts of old
steelie-lovers everywhere, putting in a polished, down-tube
gear-swapping performance for second, while Sue Duckett rode well for
third.

The
fearsome reputations of flat track hardmen Paul Robey and Bernie Crowe
deterred anyone else from entering G grade and the pair slogged it out
in the early laps. Robey, clearly wary of Crowe’s big sprint, made a
strategic break and cruised home for victory.

Many
thanks to marshalls Mary Lovett and Paul Frankcom who kept the show on
the road and of course Henry Beaverstock for keeping the race director
from self destructing.

Mick Donaldson

Narrabundah Track Racing – 18th November

The
18-Nov Track session provided perfect weather for racing. It was warm
with a fresh breeze that gradually diminished as racing progressed.

The
10-lap A grade scratch race saw the bunch circulating for eight laps at
a solid pace. At this point Ben Robey broke from the pack with Michael
Langdon and Steve Jones in pursuit. Ben faded in the furious pursuit and
Steve Jones took a comfortable win from an early lead out by Michael
Langdon. Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou started a good night, for their
tandem, by taking third place. In the B grade scratch, a large bunch
circulated up to the last lap when several riders attacked. Aaron Rockey
took a closely contested sprint from Steve Hirsler and Alec Millett.

The
evening’s second event was a 4-Lap handicap. In A grade, John-Paul
DeSousa looked a good initial prospect by holding early pace to gap the
field. However, Kerry Knowler, Lindy Hou, Michael Langdon and Ben Robey
maintained a solid pursuit and were rewarded by a close finish in that
order. In B grade, Paul Robey put up a valiant effort to hold off the
pursuing bunch. However, he could not hold it for the final lap. Alec
Millett, Aaron Rockey and Phil Anderson took the finish in that order.

An
8 lap Win & Out followed the handicap. With sprints every two laps,
this race is very demanding on tactics. It is critical to know when to
apply your best effort. In A grade Steve Jones took the first sprint for
a win. Michael Langdon held a gap from the first sprint to take the
second. Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou took the third sprint with great
tactics. Nathan Spillane, who was having his first track outing, showed
his potential by taking the final sprint from Ben Davis. In B grade,
Alec Millett took the first sprint from Steve Hirsler. Steve held the
gap to take the second sprint. Ross Scutts took the third sprint and
Linda Stals held off Phil Anderson to take the final sprint.

The
track session closed with a combined 6 lap race in which B grade were
given a half lap start on A grade. The A grade start was much better
organised in comparison with the last time this event was held. However,
B grade made the event interesting when Russ Scutts, Phil Anderson and
Steve Hirsler worked very constructively. For the first few laps, the A
grade bunch appeared to be making little inroad into the B grade lead. B
grade were ultimately rewarded for their enterprise when Russ Scutts,
Phil Anderson and Steve Hirsler took second to fourth place,
respectively. Only Steve Jones was able to overtake this trio for the
win. Steve made a huge effort with assistance by Michael Langdon and
caught B grade as the bell lap commenced. Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou
continued striving and finished directly behind the B grade trio.

Old Federal Highway Handicap – 22nd November

A
solid turnout of 45 rides turned up to race in the Old Fed Hwy handicap
on Sunday morning. Whilst 45 is a reasonable turnout, it would be
interesting to know why we get over double that number for crit racing
on a Tuesday night. If you have any thoughts, drop a line to the race
committee.

The
course started from the north side of the Shingle Hill Way/Old Fed Hwy
intersection and headed north, turning just before the exit to the Lake
George Lookout. The total length of the race was approximately 48kms,
which included four laps of the course. Without any G grade riders
turning up, the F grade riders led off with a 28min handicap over the 5 A
grade scratch riders. There was a reasonable representation across the
grades and most riders used their common sense and worked with their
bunch to try and stay away from the chasing riders. After the first lap,
it looked as though F and E grade had joined together as had some
riders from D grade and C grade. B grade were the biggest bunch of the
day and looked to be working very well together chasing down the C grade
bunch. By the third turn A grade were really putting the pressure on
riders up the road. Having dropped two riders, Steve Crispin, Peter
Marshall and Marc Vroomans were sharing the load and closing in to the
point where they were about 90 seconds down at the turn. Whilst the E
grade and B grade bunches were still mostly intact, it didn’t look like
they would be able to stay away from A grade. 20 minutes later this was
proven true as Steve Crispin crossed the line first, 35 seconds up on
Peter Marshall who was about 30 seconds in front of Marc. Word from the
road was that Steve made his attack on the final climb out to Lake
George and no one could hold his wheel. There was a D grade and C grade
rider rounding out the top 5 with the remaining places in the top 10
taken out by the remnants of the B grade bunch.

Overall,
I think the handicapper did a reasonable job of setting the handicaps
for each grade. Its always a hard task to accurately handicap without
knowing who will turn up on the day and how big some of the bunches will
be. From the sidelines, it looked like most riders had a good hit out,
with only two DNFs. Kudos goes out to those riders who did get dropped
from their bunches but still pursued on their own. This is especially
true for Paul Frankom who was dropped from A grade on the first lap of
the course and only saw riders on the other side of the road. A big
effort to ride 40 odd kms by himself.

There
was some very unpleasant news when riders returned to the cars at the
gravel pit. It appears as though a brazen individual had gone through
any loose laying gear (read – packs under the refreshment tables) and
taken any attractive and even non-attractive items (ie, my sweaty bike
helmet). Numerous people lost backpacks, phones and wallets. I have been
advised that the individual had been tracked to Moruya via the GPS on
one of the phones that had been stolen. The police were notified and a
person of interest has been found in possession of some of the stolen
goods. However, I doubt that much of the stolen goods will be found. I
think this serves as a strong reminder that everyone should secure their
valuables in their cars, and if you are riding out to an event, make
sure your valuables are safely stored in the club van. Also, in addition
to looking after each other’s safety on the road, we should keep an eye
out around the race meeting points when others are out on the road
racing.

Thank
you to the members who assisted with marshalling on the day. Patrick
McNamara, Marcus O’Toole, Jessica Baird, Paul Welsh, Andrew Chamberlain,
Anthony O’Connor and Brendan Lakey. Special thanks to Mike Hayes for
stepping up at the last minute to drive the trailing vehicle (it was
very surprising to see Andrew C coming back with the vehicle signs
saying that the magnets would not stick to his vehicle ? ).

Registration Renewal for 2016

2016 membership renewals are due by 31 December 2015. To renew, go tohttps://memberdesq.imgstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&OrgID=10244or follow the prompts via our websitewww.actvets.cc. Click on the Login link and enter the username and password from last year. If you have forgotten your login and password , after clicking on ‘login’ - go to the tab at the top right hand side of the screen and click on ‘Username & Password’ - then forward your email address as requested in the box that will appear. IMG will then forward you the information.

You need to renew your membership prior to 31 December or prior to your first race in 2016.

It is preferable to renew prior to the end of December if you intend to race in 2016. Before each race, a check has to be done of all those registered to race to ensure they are financial members and covered by insurance. As a courtesy to those committee members who work hard to ensure the club complies with the terms of our insurance cover and also produce the race results, please renew your membership at least 2 days prior to racing. Membership costs are:

A full competitive membership for 2016 is $100

A full competitive membership for a sight impaired tandem cyclist for 2016 is $85

Non competitive membership for 2016 is $5

Upon renewal, your 2016 licence will be emailed to you direct from IMG. Please print out a copy and it is suggested that you laminate it or place it in plastic for future reference during the year ahead. You will need to show this licence if you enter events run by other Veteran Cycling Clubs or the AVCC.

Please ensure that your personal particulars are always kept up to date, in particular your emergency contact details. It is a member’s responsibility to keep these updated via the IMG website.

Barbara BaylissMembership Secretary

Looking for a Track Bike

New Club member Pete Lafferty is keen to have a go at the track and would appreciate any help in buying a second hand track bike with a small frame. You can contact Pete atlaffertyfamily@grapevine.com.auif you are able to assist.

From the desk of the handicapper

A&B grade format

We'll be trying a combined format for A&B grades this week as an experiment to see how a mass start affects the bunches and whether we can have a chaos-free finish. Results will be recorded for both grades so make sure you enter the shoot in the correct order. Riders a lap down may be asked to stop riding if the race director deems it necessary to do so. Riders not confident in riding in a large bunch can try C grade instead. The week after we'll try separate races for A&C and B&D to determine if the greater speed differential helps or hinders transitions. I won't be there tomorrow, let me know how it goes viarace.committee@actvets.cc.

Handicaps

Sunday's road race

We still require volunteers for Sunday's road race. Let me know if you can help out.

Rob Langridge

Vets out and about

Bike Gizmos

Among the bike tragics who gather at the bike racks at work is an electrical engineer who's developing a device to enable a mobile battery to be charged by a hub generator. If you've got a hub generator and would like to part of the R&D process, contact me atlangridge@netspeed.com.au.

He also fixes batteries and LED lights--John Paul de Sousa, my daughter and I are all happy customers. Cost is $15 per half hour to solve your bike lighting problems.

RACE REPORTS:

Narrabundah Track Racing – 11th November

The track session was cancelled due to rain.

Graeme O'Neill

Uriarra Homestead Graded Scratch – 15th November

Fifty-one cyclists attended the Uriarra Homestead race, with damp roads for the beginning but ending with a strong crosswind and warm, dry conditions. All grades raced the 46km course after early issues with the placement of the Mt McDonald turn signs (numerous signs and the paint mark needs to be replaced!) resulted in a delayed start. Early on, the race was mostly without incidents - but as the day wore on and the "off road" enthusiasts started to increase in number, the number of vehicles on the road rapidly increased and the ability of motorists to give room to cyclists disappeared, with one rider being hit by an object thrown from an oncoming vehicle. In the end, all riders were accounted for, but without Henry to drive the finish line computer it was well after most of the riders had departed that we were able to produce the results from the hand written notes and timing printout.

Trish the medic was happy to NOT be administering first aid, and many thanks to Peter Junakovic and Simon Tennant for assisting in setting up the signage and the finishing chute, and Rob Langridge, Andre Swenson, Reinhard Mauch and Clinton Porteous for manning the traffic points. And of course, special thanks to James Meredith, Graham Hendrie and Ian Morton for making everything else happen on the day.

First Aid Course

Please note this course is confirmed and still has places available. Full details and registration via the SMA events calendar,click here.

Course outcomes:This
course has been designed to provide participants with the necessary
skills to assist in improving athletic performance, making sport safer
for all. This course covers topics such as the Principles of Injury
Management, Structure and Function of the musculoskeletal System, Common
Sporting Illnesses and Injuries, Common Medical Conditions,
Introduction to Sports Taping and moving an Injured Athlete.

ACTVCC will pay fees for members prepared to provide services at races and training rides.

Alex O'Shea

Registration Renewal for 2016

2016 membership renewals are due by 31 December 2015. To renew, go tohttps://memberdesq.imgstg.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&OrgID=10244or follow the prompts via our websitewww.actvets.cc.
Click on the Login link and enter the username and password from last
year. If you have forgotten your login and password , after clicking on
‘login’ - go to the tab at the top right hand side of the screen and
click on ‘Username & Password’ - then forward your email address as
requested in the box that will appear. IMG will then forward you the
information.

You need to renew your membership prior to 31 December or prior to your first race in 2016.

It
is preferable to renew prior to the end of December if you intend to
race in 2016. Before each race, a check has to be done of all those
registered to race to ensure they are financial members and covered by
insurance. As a courtesy to those committee members who work hard to
ensure the club complies with the terms of our insurance cover and also
produce the race results, please renew your membership at least 2 days
prior to racing. Membership costs are:

A full competitive membership for 2016 is $100

A full competitive membership for a sight impaired tandem cyclist for 2016 is $85

Non competitive membership for 2016 is $5

Upon
renewal, your 2016 licence will be emailed to you direct from IMG.
Please print out a copy and it is suggested that you laminate it or
place it in plastic for future reference during the year ahead. You will
need to show this licence if you enter events run by other Veteran
Cycling Clubs or the AVCC.

Please
ensure that your personal particulars are always kept up to date, in
particular your emergency contact details. It is a member’s
responsibility to keep these updated via the IMG website.

Barbara BaylissMembership Secretary

THANK YOU FROM FITABILITY TANDEM CYCLING

To
all members, and other cycling friends who supported our recent raffle.
Your generosity will help keep our tandem bikes well maintained for our
cyclists and cover other necessary costs, so that we can continue to
provide tandem cycling opportunities to cyclists with vision impairment
and some other disabilities.

The
winner of the framed cycling jersey signed by Anna Meares is not a
cyclist and would be interested in speaking with anyone who has a much
greater interest in the jersey. Please let me know if you would like to
contact the winner of the jersey.

Also,
If you are interested in riding as a tandem pilot, or know someone who
would like to take up tandem riding due to vision loss, please get in
touch.

We
have celebrities such as former Tour de France Green Jersey winner
Robbie McEwen and Sam “The Bachelor” Wood and other sports stars join
us, we hope you can too.

From the desk of the handicapper

A
number of riders in C grade reported that some riders rode erratically
and dangerously last week. There was also an unfortunate crash in the
sprint.

In
the Vets, we ride safely for enjoyment, not dangerously for prize
money. We are too old to be unnecessarily falling off our bikes!

Dangerous
riding will not be tolerated and will lead to disqualification and
bans. Words said in the heat of the moment should be resolved calmly
after the race with a committee member or experienced riders mediating.

If you are not sure what constitutes safe riding, ask!

A race committee member will be closely be observing your race tomorrow.

Vets out and about

Bike Gizmos

Among
the bike tragics who gather at the bike racks at work is an electrical
engineer who's developing a device to enable a mobile battery to be
charged by a hub generator. If you've got a hub generator and would like
to part of the R&D process, contact me atlangridge@netspeed.com.au.

He
also fixes batteries and LED lights--John Paul de Sousa, my daughter
and I are all happy customers. Cost is $15 per half hour to solve your
bike lighting problems.

Italian bike tours

The owner of well know European cycling tour company, Punto Tours, (www.puntotours.com) will be in town on Thursday and Friday.

If you would like to discuss any of their tours you have two opportunities to catch up:

1. 6.00am from the Bike Shed in Phillip for a 2-hour rideor2. 6.30pm at EQ Cafe, 70 Kent St., Deakin for pizza and drinks.

RACE REPORTS:

Dairy Rd Criterium – 1st November

The sun was shining and the course set up, but not many riders.

Was it the poor weather forecast or because the Kiwis thrashed the Aussies in the rugby world cup earlier that morning?

In
G grade Bernie Crowe got the better of Bruce Jones winning by three
points. F grade was a battle for James Meredith to come a close second
to Peter Lafferty with one of the sprints too close to call.

Linda
Stals took out a close win from Seymour Savell-Boss with Rosemary
Robinson also close behind with 1 point separating each rider.

Roger
Wheatley, Darren Garnon and Ashley Sked broke away in D grade to finish
in that order, with Roger doing it easy with a note going to the
handicapper.

Stephen
Schwenke thrashed C grade with Sue Powell (who rides B grade on Tuesday
crits) coming a close second holding off Wayne Shippley by one point.

In
A grade it was a fierce battle between Mark Vroomans and Sean Ifland
pulling off some awesome sprints with Mark winning by one point and
Christophe Barberet a further 10 points back in third place.

Steve Jones was obviously suffering from world cup blues and was unusually quiet.

Thanks to Andrew Balzanelli and Mark Gillett for marshalling duties.

Nick Boylan

Stromlo Criterium – 3rd November

The
forecast was for rain, that fortunately that did not eventuate, but the
predicted cold front did. The temperature plummeted as the evening went
on.

G
grade was the first to start the evening. A bit of break away formed
early and they managed to stay in front. Paul Robey, Heather Sommariva
and Karen Steinicke held up the flag for G grade.

A
and B grade had to deal with some strong winds. That, and an attack
from a few strong riders, resulted in both grades breaking up early in
the race. It was a big challenge for us to keep track of who was leading
each grade, riders were spread out all over the track. Sean Ifland,
Marc Vroomans and Ed Pellegrino crossed the line first in A grade.

After
being left out front for most of the race, John Barlow and Cameron
Ermert managed to come in first for B grade, followed by Simon Junakovic
and Craig Tozer.

Both
C and D grade stayed together as a bunch throughout the whole race. D
grade must have been pushing it because it did not look like C grade
would catch them, they left it until the third last lap to make their
move. Charles Lundy, Trent Wisemand and Bryan Holloway were the first
three riders for C grade and Shane Warburton, Michael Foulds and John
Hermes filled the first three spots for D grade.

E
and F grade had the pleasure of starting in freezing temperatures.
Storm clouds started to come in and unfortunately we lost the light very
quickly. E grade split early with Stuart Mitchell, Emery Holmik and
Jame Curran the first three place getters. F grade stayed together until
the final sprint. The finishing order was Peter Lafferty, James
Meredith followed by Barbara Bayliss.

I
would like to point out that we are given very little time for change
over between the races, so we rely on the riders to help to make that
happen as quickly and as smoothly as possible. Having riders from the
race that just finished standing around talking to the riders lining up
to start the next race is not helpful. When I count 23 riders in a grade
that is only suppose to have 22 I have to delay the start of the race
until we sort the numbers out. These delays add up and we either have to
cut the rides short or start the next race late. So, when you have
finished your race please clear the area as quickly as possible.

I
would like to thank Lindsay Graham and Daniel Grillo for looking after
the grades. I very much appreciate their help. I would also like to
thank the First Aider Tom Roberts, who unfortunately had some work to
do. And also thanks to Henry Beaverstock and Graham Hendrie for all
their help at the desk.

Linda Stals

Narrabundah Track Racing – 4th November

There
was sporadic rain over Canberra as the 4-Nov Track session approached. A
decision to proceed with racing was vindicated by a pleasant, dry track
for the whole evening. Unfortunately, many trackies were put off by
localised rain squalls and only eight riders competed in the session.

Four
riders in the 8-lap A grade scratch race circulated as a bunch until
one and a half laps from the finish. Michael Langdon accelerated
fiercely into the bell lap, with Aaron Sedgmen taking up the pursuit.
Michael held position to take the win from Aaron with Craig Kentwell in
third. In the B Grade scratch, Alec Millett was too strong for the
field, taking a comfortable win from Steve Hirsler and Russ Scutts. The
very small field provided a painless introduction to track racing for
Russ. We hope he will stick with this new form of racing.

The
evening’s second event was a 16-Lap graded points race with two
intermediate and one final sprint. Alec Millett joined the small A grade
field for this race and vindicated this decision by finishing third.
Michael Langdon and Aaron Sedgmen had a close tussle in this race with
Aaron taking the first two sprints and Michael taking the final sprint
for double points. Michael and Aaron finished equal winners on 18
points. In B Grade, Steve Hirsler took all the sprints. Russ Scutts was
competitive and might have taken the final sprint with better tactics.
There is no substitute for a bit of experience in this game.

Despite
the small field, the evening’s final combined Italian pursuit was a
cracker with less than a wheel width as the winning margin. As lead
rider, James Meredith gave Team 2 a handy start. Fast riding by Steve
Hirsler and Craig Kentwell in Team 1 put Michael Langdon in with a
chance on the final lap. Michael put heart and soul into the pursuit but
was unluckily pipped at the finish with solid riding by Team 2’s
anchor, Aaron Sedgmen.

From the desk of the handicapper

I
think the origin of the name of our newsletter was that it always
included a bit of nagging so I'll bleat on about a problem the club has (and it's not about our club presidents always spending most of their time in France!)
So far only two out of more than 300 members have enquired to learn
what's required to become a Race Director. We desperately need new blood
to enable the club to thrive and conduct activities that members want
to participate in. Email the race.committee@actvets.ccif you want to be involved.

RMS

There
are still delays with getting the results out but you will notice that
visitors and others were included in the results and the phantoms have
gone. I made quite a few changes so that gradings reflect the grade
riders are riding in, but they seem to have vanished in the past day (If
you want an adjustment, email thehandicapper@actvets.cc).

Vets out and about

Fitz's

Many
riders put in many performances two weeks back ranging from Heather
Sommariva in the 50km race to Charlie Nicoll and Marc Roberts who
completed the Fitz's Absurd event and were pedalling away from dawn to
dusk! Race reports are welcome.

Bike Gizmos

Among
the bike tragics who gather at the bike racks at work is an electrical
engineer who's developing a device to enable a mobile battery to be
charged by a hub generator. If you've got a hub generator and would like
to part of the R&D process, contact me atlangridge@netspeed.com.au.

He
also fixes batteries and LED lights--John Paul de Sousa, my daughter
and I are all happy customers. Cost is $15 per half hour to solve your
bike lighting problems.

Bike garage sale

Peter
Taylor and others will be selling old bike bits on Saturday 7 November
at Dumaresq St Dickson from early that morning. Buyers and sellers
welcome. Call Peter 0439 829 200 for more details.

RACE REPORTS:

Stromlo Criterium – 27th October

Many
thanks to Steve Jones and Angie Wren for their early communications on
availability and their persistence in the abysmal conditions - it was so
cold that Angie could hardly write at the end! Thanks also to Henry
Beaverstock and Graham Hendry for setting everything up. A special
thanks to Stu Horyna who tripled up as First Aid, marshal and kangaroo
wrangler.

Paul
Robey put on a display of strength leading G Grade for most of the race
but it took its toll and Heather Sommariva flew home to win by many
lengths with new comer Rapheala Sheenan hanging on for third.

E
and F Grades had what appeared to be quite leisurely races although I
was distracted towards the finish by unruly runners crossing the track.
Robbie Thompson, Matt Morgan and Shane Warburton took out the places in E
Grade while Lloyd Bennett put on a bust to beat Peter Lafferty (on his 5
speed) from Rico Fitch who was noticed having a good time displaying
his stamina in front.

One
hundred and eleven braved the cold windy conditions for the third crit
of the 2015/6 Summer series. Will we even get nice weather? After
considerable discussion about the shambles caused by grades passing each
other, it was decided that A grade should be given 3/4 of a lap start
with the hope that they would pass B grade early and be well clear by
the finish - the best laid plans of mice and men! But thankful the bunch
of 7 leading A graders stayed together to the end and the 2 leaders of B
grade were easy enough to identify from the rest of A grade. The bunch
of rapidly finishing B graders was a bit of a challenge to identify.
Sean Ifland got the A Grade win from Mark Harris and Ed Pelligrino while
Ian Mongan took B grade from Michael Jermyn and Dougal Torrance.

C
and D Grades may have had the worst of the conditions due to increasing
gusty conditions, an almost still period and then a blast of the wind.
Bryan Halloway has obviously made a full recovery after the knee
operation and won from Ben Vagnarelli and Tony Henry. Jayson Clarke,
Bernard Shaw and Andrew Hall took the places in C Grade.

James Meredith

Narrabundah Track Racing – 28th October

After
missing a week due to rain, it was heartening to have ideal conditions
for the second track racing session of the 15-16 season. Attendance
increased with 23 riders split almost equally between A & B Grades.

The
six lap A grade scratch race was again tactical. The early part of the
races saw constant jockeying for position. After four laps the group
flared over the track with riders sizing up the situation. Michael
Langdon took the initiative and quickly gapped the field. Michael looked
set to hold his lead to the finish. However, furious chasing saw Steve
Jones overtake at the finish. Tandem partners, Cameron Ermet and John
Barlow performed well to take third in a tight final sprint. Alec
Millett again dominated the B Grade scratch. Ian Drayton took a
creditable second. Peta Brill must have been chuffed to finish third in
her first race at the Bundadome.

The
2-Lap handicap races looked competitive for this early stage of the
season. Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou on the tandem gave no quarter and
made A grade a furious pursuit. Steve Jones and Craig Kentwell could not
quite catch them. Most of the rest of the field appeared shocked by the
pace. In B Grade, Peta Brill continued a great night with a win from
Steve Dean and Alec Millett.

Ben
Robey took the initiative in the A grade mystery race. However, Ben’s
initiative went unrewarded as Steve Jones dominated a final pursuit and
sprint. Rohan McMurray performed well to come in second. The tandem pair
of Kerry Knowler and Lindy Hou showed they will not give anything away,
by taking third.

The
B Grade mystery race started easy, but soon accelerated to a solid
pace. Matt Morgan and Peta Brill took the initiative and were rewarded
with first and second. John Stockman raced well to take third.

For
the final six lap race, the B grade group was given a half lap lead.
They took off and A grade struggled to make a dent in their lead. B
Grade riders Alec Millett, Ian Drayton and Steve Dean took first to
third. They well deserved the result. A Grade can console themselves,
that better tactics may produce a result for them in future.

The view from the sidelines

I'm
prompted to write this having watched the A and B grade crits the week
before last, in what could be described as near perfect racing
conditions. The comments, however, are equally applicable to the other
numerous crits I have seen and experienced over the years. My comments
are equally applicable to other grades, particularly the higher ones.

I
fail to see how riders can't understand that 'stay left' means exactly
that, regardless of the size of the bunch, the prevailing conditions and
how close to the end (of the race!) you might be. If you've 'chosen' to
be on the back of a bunch, then congratulations, you have the primary
responsibility to be keeping an eye behind you for an approaching grade
about to overtake and warning your fellow riders. Call it sooner rather
than later so that the overtaking grade knows what's happening. (And why
not make it a club rule/policy that a bunch being overtaken always
stays left?) That does not abrogate any other riders though from also
being aware of what's happening on or near the track and passing the
message through the bunch, regardless of whether it's other riders,
kangaroos (fantastic I reckon - where else does that happen on a crit
track?), wayward children, dogs or whatever. Staying left means you
should try your level best to make half the track available for the
overtaking riders. And if you've been overtaken and there are some
apparent stragglers and you're not sure if they're in your grade or the
other, simply ask them or someone else.

It
would also be nice to see some honest and consistent real racing every
week, rather than what often amounts to not much more than a fast bunch
training ride with a few regulars being the only ones prepared to have a
go. Do you really get genuine satisfaction from getting home and
telling your partner that you were in the sprint at the end or finished
with the bunch? We're talking weekly club races here, not major
championships where different tactics might be employed (and required).
And while there may well be races where you'd like to practise your
Robbie McEwen skills, surely that doesn't mean every race. There are of
course riders who could be excused for not getting their nose in the
wind, such as those new to crits or new to the grade, recovering from an
injury or long absence or who, for medical reasons, can't or shouldn't
be overly exerting themselves. Adding all those people up would
generally make for a very small minority in the number of riders and
hence most of the others are basically circulating for a reason that
escapes me.

How
are you going to improve or know what you're capable of if you don't
have a go at times? Trust me, it can be great fun, especially if you can
organise a teammate or two and it's much better to have tried and
failed than done nothing. So what if you end up getting dropped? At
least you'll be wiser next time and able to measure your effort more
cleverly. And who knows, you might actually stay away and catch everyone
out. From personal experience and the comments of many others, the best
races are usually those where there's plenty of action and attacks
happening regularly. I've also found it can be just as satisfying to
have contributed to a teammate getting a place as placing yourself.

I'm
also sure officials get much more reward from giving their valuable
time if they have some decent races to watch and not simply a procession
with a mad rush at the end. It's generally much safer too if the bunch
is strung out or broken up, rather than a huge bunch all fighting for a
wheel.

So please, more real racing, for your own satisfaction and that of the officials and spectators.

Richard Bourne

The view from the B Grade bunch - 27 October 2015

After
a successful debut in B grade last week, (well we stayed with the bunch
at least) we lined up in B again for some fun in the opposite
direction. The bike had had some much needed mechanical attention during
the week and we had finally silenced the various creaks and groans, and
raised the pilot’s bottom bracket for better cornering clearance.

The
weather wasn’t bad, but it was windy which seemed to reduce the overall
numbers for the night, but not in B grade with 33 starters. However the
wind was always going to make it hard, which seemed to take away any
desire people had to do any work.

Predictably
there is always a few riders who will rely on everyone else’s lack of
enthusiasm and started hard just to see what would happen. Almost
immediately a group of 4 or 5 riders opened up a gap which would be
maintained for the whole race, although there was a few riders who
joined them later on.

The
bunch was either content to let them go, or more likely was full of
individuals who didn’t see the point in doing the work to bring them
back if it meant dragging another 25 riders with them who were going to
do them over at the end. Whilst there is no doubt that if a dozen riders
got organised they could have brought the break back easily without
destroying their own chances, the problem is getting that level of
organisation happening. So as a result the few that did go to the front
weren’t driving the pace much, and the break stayed out in front by half
a minute for most of the race.

I
get the impression that the break wasn’t working particularly well
either because I was expecting them to ride out of sight. John and I
went to the front a couple of times to do our bit, but we quickly found
ourselves hung out to dry, with no support coming through, and just as
it is for anyone else we were neither capable of chasing the break back
by ourselves, nor were we inclined to. As a result the longer we were on
the front, the slower we rode, and all the while the break was still up
the road. I can appreciate that we punch a pretty big hole in the air
making it extra easy to sit on our wheel, but we are no more difficult
to pass than a single bike. Like most people who like to compete, I am
willing to do some work whilst it improves my chances of a good placing,
I generally won’t do so if it only improves the chances of others. Pro
riders might sit on the front of the peloton for kms at a time to bring
back a break, but they are being paid to do that in order to improve the
chances of a teammate. The last time I checked there were no teams in
Vets B grade, and there was certainly no money changing hands. *(If I
have got that wrong, please present your argument to me in a brown paper
bag before the next race – large denominations preferred).

So
after it became obvious that the race was going to be decided ahead of
us, we looked to get some value out of the night. We launched an attack
at the bell to see how far we could stretch the bunch, and to see what
sort of effort we could muster at the end of a race. We did manage to
close the gap somewhat, and there was even a split in the bunch that
opened up. Not surprisingly when the sprint opened up a number of riders
came past in order to squabble over the very minor placings, but we
were more than happy with our efforts to finish in the front half of the
bunch.

BTW
we were considering lining up on Sunday, however I was not available.
In general it is more difficult to arrange for two people to be
available at any one time, and whilst if John is unavailable I can
always race by myself, but John doesn’t have that choice and the same
goes for the other tandem stokers. Consequently there is always a need
for experienced pilots. Another tandem stoker I know was looking for a
pilot for Thursday criteriums, and whilst she appears to have found one
for the moment, the same situation could easily arise. If anyone would
like to get some experience as a tandem pilot I am happy to provide some
training if you would like. Just let me know when you see us around.

From the desk of the handicapper

Here's
the first round of promotions. This week is also a come-and-try-A-grade
round. We have a large discrepancy between A and B numbers so if you
are keen on trying a smaller bunch and relentless attacks or
chasing--welcome aboard.- Allan Bontjer B -> A- Jeremy Muir B -> A- Ian Mongan C -> B- David Medlock C -> B

Rob Langridge

Vets out and about

Bike Gizmos

Among
the bike tragics who gather at the bike racks at work is an electrical
engineer who's developing a device to enable a mobile battery to be
charged by a hub generator. If you've got a hub generator and would like
to part of the R&D process, contact me atlangridge@netspeed.com.au.

He
also fixes batteries and LED lights--John Paul de Sousa, my daughter
and I are all happy customers. Cost is $15 per half hour to solve your
bike lighting problems.

Rob Langridge

Register for Fitz's Challenge in 2015

Fitz's
Challenge - Canberra’s long distance cycling event – will be held on
Sunday 25 October 2015 to provide participants the chance to choose
their challenge from one of five course distances while also raising
much needed funds for The Kids’ Cancer Project.

RACE REPORTS:

Stromlo Criterium – 20th October

With
the scheduled race director in the US, Ian Morton and I split the
duties to ensure the race went ahead. Hence the need for more volunteers
to train to become race director: so far two have volunteered out of
more than 300 members. We are still having problems with the RMS
results, hence the appearance of various phantoms appearing instead of
those who raced with a 700 series number. The RMS developer, Al Bontjer
and Graham Hendrie are working on a solution.

G Grade

I
battled a head wind to get to Stromlo on time and on arrival was
greeted with perfect conditions. G grade opened the proceedings. Bruce
Jones led around Karen Steinicke and visitor David Witteveen for the
majority of the race, while Bernie Crowe, not used to his electronic
gears, or perhaps underdressed, dropped off early. In the finishing
straight Karen had the lead but it was experience that won the day, with
Bruce chalking up another win. Visitor David rolled in smoothly for
third.

C&D Grade

D
grade's Terry Merrigan's promise to shout the grade a Guinness each if
he won meant that no-one was keen to chase him down for quite while, and
the bunch just cruised around with hands on the hoods and barely
peddling. Then the glory of winning surpassed a free drink and Terry was
consumed by the mob. Next Trent Wiseman had a good go out the front,
taking good advantage of C passing to confuse everyone. In the end it
turned in to a last lap dash with Bernie Shaw first, followed by Malcolm
Parker and John Wilson.

Newcomers
to the club and C grade (but not for long) David Medlock and Ian Mongan
gave C grade a good thrashing with numerous attacks. Phil Walker also
had a go to add to the misery. This left a small group well off back and
out of the action. Ian also created a break for a while. Although the
official results, don't reflect this I think Ian and David got the
quinella over Chris Kon.

Rob Langridge

E&F Grade

Both
E & F Grades settled into a steady pace for most of the race with
no signs of anyone wanting to make an attack. With 8 minutes to go, the
pace started to take it's toll on F Grade with the bunch spreading out.
By 3 minutes to go, E Grade was down to a core group of 5 riders.

In
E grade, Peter Jovanovic, a visitor, took first place followed by Linda
Stals and Paul McKay. In F Grade. In F Grade, Lloyd Bennett took the
honours followed by Dennis Puniard and and Peter Lafferty.

A&B Grade

The
A&B Grade saw a bit more combatitive racing with Rob Langridge and
Ed Pelligrino making an early break in A Grade and Dougal Torrance
making a solo charge in B Grade. Both of these attacks were reeled in by
the peleton after a few laps.

There
were a few more attacks in B Grade but these were all pulled back in by
the bunch. It came down to a bunch sprint with Allan Bontjer, Jeremy
Muir and Craig Tozer taking the podium. Three riders in A Grade, Aaron
Thomson, Marc Vroomans and Jeffrey Dau were able to establish a solid
breakaway and held on to the finish.

Thanks
to the marshals, David Morgan and Ross Robinson, for the assistance at
the finish as well as Henry Beaverstock for race organisation.

Ian Morton

The view from the B Grade bunch

After
the previous week’s effort of a successful breakaway from C grade, we
suspected that there might be some grumblings if we lined up in C grade
again (even though during the Iron Mike C grade demonstrated an ability
to chase us down if only they would work together). Mind you looking at
the results it seems that our breakaway partner of last week rode C
grade again and took out another win, so I suspect that he will be
tapped on the shoulder before Tuesday to be invited up to B grade.

In
the spirit of jumping before we were pushed we lined up in B grade. The
weather was suitably atmospheric with darkening clouds and storms
predicted. There was some lightning on the horizon later on in the race,
but the rain held off.

There
were 31 starters in B grade, and compared to the winter numbers it is a
nice change to have a good sized bunch to race with. What was also a
nice change was the behaviour of the bunch. It seemed to me that
everyone was riding with consideration for each other and there were few
wayward moments.

At
least that was the case until the A grade bunches (they had split into
three groups) started to come past and the shouts of ‘stay left’ seemed
to get ignored until they were almost in a position to physically push
the recalcitrant riders out of the way. Mind you I am a little puzzled
as to why the third bunch found the need to try and get past at all.
They caught us on their last lap, and there was already 8-10 riders up
the road, so they had no chance of featuring in the placings and it
seemed totally unnecessary to me. They ended up finishing just in front
of us as we were receiving the bell to start our last lap and to their
credit when they finished they cleared right off to the sides of the
track to allow us to go past, showing more respect to our bunch than we
did to theirs, so kudos to them.

As
for John and I we sat in the bunch and for the most part kept a low
profile. We did move up a couple of times and did a couple of turns,
just to hold our end up but we were only on a watching brief this time.
Some might have described the progress of the race as dull, since even
though there were a couple of breakaway attempts, none really looked
like being able ride away with it and they were reeled in without much
fuss. However not for us, just riding in the bunch was good fun. It was
just straight out fast, bunch riding. I first got into bike racing
because I like going fast, and that hasn’t diminished.

In
the last laps I was not prepared to go up and fight for position, so we
just sat back and watched. In the end we were able to finish with the
bunch reasonably comfortably, and enjoyed the faster pace. It may have
been our worst ever placing in a criterium, but it was one of the most
fun races we have had, so we came away buzzing. We expect to be back for
more on Tuesday.